Show threadPermaSolarPotter3d ago
My one and only Seminole pumpkin is just about ready to harvest. This plant only produced one mature female flower. There were a couple of immature female buds that dropped before they could blossom and then all of the blossoms since then have been male. The plant is still going strong despite some pest damage. Let’s see what happens. We’ve been eating the leaves, too. It’s a beautiful pumpkin. #gardening #Zone10 #Florida #heirloom
PermaSolarPotterJun 15
My friend dropped us off a bag of fresh lychees last night and we’ve been snacking on them since. Delicious! He’s harvesting them from a tree in a public space that is loaded with fruit that no one else seems to care about. This happens a lot. There are often #TropicalFruit trees randomly growing in public spaces around town with rotten fruit littered around the base. I also foraged a swamp apple this weekend while we were in Miami. #Florida #foraging #Zone10
PermaSolarPotterJun 7
#Florida summer garden: I just realized that most of what I’ve selected for the season is in the amaranth family including four varieties of actual amaranth, perpetual chard, Lagos spinach, and gomphrena. I’ve also sprouted okra, roselle and cotton (all mallow family). Two cowpea varieties and sunn hemp. Butterfly pea. The Seminole pumpkins are still in there, making lots of vines but just one pumpkin. The tomatoes refuse to flower in all of this heat. #gardening #Zone10
PermaSolarPotterJun 3
I picked this mango as an experiment to see how early we can harvest them. It’s pretty much full size and has developed that blush tone near the top, but it’s still hard. It should ripen over the next few days. Besides the fact that I’m excited it’s mango season, we do have to make sure to beat the squirrels and passersby because the tree is on the strip between the sidewalk and the street. We don’t mind sharing but if we don’t pay close enough attention, they’ll all be gone. #gardening #Zone10
PermaSolarPotterMay 31

The Black history of food.

"Cowpea is a gem gifted to the world by thousands of African farmers and gardeners who selected genetics over millennia for myriad forms of this incredible crop resource..."

The variety of cowpea seeds I have are called whippoorwill and according to Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, "This crop came from Africa through forced migration and was later cultivated by enslaved Black people at Monticello."

https://codycovefarm.com/cowpea-a-diverse-group-of-florida-friendly-super-beans/

#Florida #gardening #Zone10

Cowpea- A Diverse Group of Florida Friendly Super Beans - Cody Cove Farm & Nursery

Cowpea is a gem gifted to the world by thousands of African farmers and gardeners who selected genetics over millennia for myriad forms of this incredible crop resource. Long pre-dating the Colombian era, cowpeas made their way into India and eventually Southeast Asia where they would be selected into the form we call yard long

Cody Cove Farm & Nursery - Online Plant Nursery
PermaSolarPotterMay 21
The plantain flower is already getting attention from #pollinators. I think I read that bananas & plantains need to be pollinated by bats to make fruit. I should fact check that. Either way, there are tons of bats in the neighborhood. #zone10 #Florida #GrowYourOwn #gardening #tropicalfruit
Show threadPermaSolarPotterMay 11

@gardening Our older patch of kale is finally showing signs of pest damage, so it's time to do a full harvest. They never did bolt, though... I can't remember if this is unusual or not. You would expect brassicas to bolt by May in #Zone10.

One thing I learned recently is that seeds are often selected from late-bolting plants because it's a desirable trait. We've had this kale growing since January and probably began harvesting in February. Four whole months of harvesting without bolting.

PermaSolarPotterMay 7
A gift from the community garden. Fresh coconut water 💦 #Florida #Zone10
PermaSolarPotterMay 6

Interesting selection of warm season #seeds from this Native Seeds Search in #Arizona. I think I have enough seeds for the summer, but the varieties here were fascinating to look through--a lot of things I've never heard of before. Some Texan and Mexican varieties that would probably work really well here in #Florida.

#gardening #Zone9 #Zone10
https://www.nativeseeds.org/collections/popular-warm-season-varieties

Popular Warm Season Varieties

Show threadPermaSolarPotterMay 5

This is the biggest #mushroom cluster so far. Sorry, I can’t stop posting about this! It’s just so beautiful and fascinating.

Also, I’ve been looking through the mushroom hashtag and it’s mostly people identifying wild mushrooms which is great but it would be nice to see what others are growing and how it works in different regions. My buckets really started popping once the humidity returned, which is the point—growing what works easily in our climate. #gardening #zone10